This is a four-year program (Med I-Med IV) at the end of which a Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree will be granted to successful candidates.

The structure of Med I and Med II is probably different from what you may be familiar with at other medical schools in Lebanon. Traditional curricula are lecture-based, discipline-oriented, and impart basic medical sciences (anatomy, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, and genetics) in the first two years, followed by clinical disciplines in the last two years. In our curriculum, basic and clinical sciences are integrated and taught simultaneously from Med I to Med IV, with clinical exposure right from the start, including new learning situations and new assessment methods.

These are the key characteristics of our program of study:

• Contextual learning. Our objective is to link the information to its clinical application. It is not enough to remember a list of structures but you will need to recognize their function(s) and the consequences of their loss by disease or injury.
• Self-directed learning. This plays an important role in our curriculum. Every week, a protected time is identified in the timetable for SDL, so that you develop self-learning skills and master the topics in question. The information given by the Week Learning Objectives (WLOs) and for every delivery (lecture, tutorial or practical) and provision of the appropriate learning resources will enable you to do so.
• An enquiry-structured study strategy (case-based, problem-based learning). This differs substantially from programs based on didactic teaching supplemented with case-based activities. A clinical problem initiates the activity. This stimulates the group to explore basic scientific and clinical mechanisms together with social, psychological, ethical and professional issues.
• Early clinical exposure. From Med I, students will see and examine real patients and patients in simulation labs.
• Simulators and simulation labs. Teaching and practicing clinical maneuvers on manikins will provide skills in a risk-free environment. In addition, actors from the drama division in the School of Arts & Sciences will play as patients and their families. However, real patients will still be an integral part of our teaching.
• Virtual learning tools. Our goal is to provide students and staff with a range of online services and resources which will enhance the quality of the student learning experience and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and learning.
• Summative and formative assessments. Your achievements will be assessed using both summative and informative forms of assessment. The former is meant to grade in terms of good or bad, pass or repeat. In the formative process, assessment is done with the intention to improve. There is a feedback process.

Med I and Med II System Modules (Sep 2014–June 2015)

Med I

• Foundations of Medicine (14 weeks)
• Hematology & Immunology (6 weeks)
• Endocrinology & Reproductive Medicine (8 weeks)
• Pulmonary System (8 weeks)
• Nephrology (7 weeks)
• Revision (2 weeks)

Med II

• Cardiovascular System (6 weeks)
• Gastrointestinal System (8 weeks)
• Musculoskeletal System/Dermatology (10 weeks)
• Neurosciences (11 weeks)
• Revision USMLE (2 weeks)